My Blog

One of my earliest memories is of holding my grandfathers
hand as we walked around his bird garden, he would talk and whistle
to the birds as he went about feeding, topping up the water and
cleaning out aviaries.

In 1999 I found myself sat on a mountain in the Cordillera
Blanca of Peru, the mountain was among the highest in South America
and was in fact next to Peru's highest peak Huscaran.

Having summited Pisco, I was sat just below the glacier
when what I believe to be a Harris Hawk came and landed right in
front of me only a few feet away.

Now I don't think I was suffering from a spiritual
awakening or it was the effect of the Matte de Coca tea but yes, I
had a moment on a mountain.

As the hawk and I gazed into each others eyes, my life
flashed before me, my hopes, my dreams and all the good and bad
times. In a split second the hawk was away, it opened its wings,
looked over its shoulder and was taken by the Andean winds, it
floated off and away over the high mountains leaving me alone again
with my thoughts.

Since then I have spent many nights by the fire in Englands most
beautiful valley, Borrowdale, the home of Millican Dalton, The
Keswick Caveman, The Monarch of the Valley, Professor of Adventure,
Rock Climber and Mountain Guide.

It was on a trip to this valley while sitting by the
warmth of the fire that I heard the name Millican Dalton. He had
lived in a cave a little way north of the valley where I was
camping that night.